Research shows that three quarters of Canadians rate newspaper ads highest for truth and accuracy

26 June 2019

Canadians are most comfortable with truth and accuracy in newspaper ads and traditional media in general. Even those under 35 years old place newspaper ads at the top of the list with it comes to truth and accuracy by media.

Research from Ad Standards Canada finds that Canadians continue to have a positive view of advertising and find it helpful to them as consumers.

The latest consumer research report from Ad Standards reports that “in a time when media consumption habits are rapidly shifting from traditional to digital media, it is interesting that consumers report higher comfort with truth and accuracy levels in traditional media than in digital. However, those under 35 years of age report more comfort with digital media than do other groups.”

Digital media generates more concern for consumers, particularly among those over 35 years old.

Media in Canada writes that “even though newspaper ads are seeing less ad spend by the year, these ads have the highest rate of being perceived as accurate and reliable by Canadians. In total, 74% of Canadians consider newspaper ads to be the most trustworthy and accurate (73% in the 18 to 34 cohort)”.

Ad Standards is Canada’s national, not-for-profit, advertising self-regulatory body with a goal of promoting trust and dialogue between Canadians and advertisers for over 6 years. Their 2018 consumer research examined perspectives on advertising among a nationally representative sample of more than 1,500 Canadians.